Who doesn’t love avocados?
Unlike any other fruit – yes, avocados are fruits
these things have an incredibly distinct, creamy
texture and brilliant flavor that make for ridiculously perfect dip.
On top of that, avocados are a noted superfood with a number of fantastic health benefits.
Well folks, today we’ve mashed up something good for you: some ripe avocado chemistry
and some tips from the pros for the casual avocado connoisseur.
Inside this little fruit is a wealth of health benefits.
It’s high in fiber, has double the potassium content
of one of these, it’s loaded with vitamin B12
and vitamin E, and has high concentrations
of monounsaturated fatty acids.
It contain valuable, cancer battling antioxidants,
and has fats inside of it that help us
absorb more nutrients from other foods.
I mean the works.
On top of the benefits inside, the thick skin on
the outside protects the healthy flesh inside
from any residual pesticides making avocados
are one of the safest fruits to eat.
Another big plus is that inside that flesh
are 11 different carotenoids, which are
special chemicals known as phytonutrients.
These things help fight against certain kinds of cancer and heart disease.
The highest concentration of these compounds
can be found right here in the dark green portion just beneath the skin.
For this reason, there is a proper way to cut and
peel your avocado for maximum health benefit...
Step one.
Cut vertically, all the way around the pit of the avocado.
Step two.
Twist both sides.
Step Three.
Remove the pit from the one half by hacking
at it with a knife and twist like so.
Step four.
Cut your two halves into four quarters.
Step five.
Instead of digging in with a spoon, just peel
the skin from the ripe, green flesh, and
it will come of nice and smooth.
The rougher looking portion on the outside
that touched the skin is incredibly healthy stuff!
Most of the time, if you’re going through these
steps, you’re in the mood for some guac.
Any seasoned veteran in dip making knows
this stuff will brown very quickly.
This is due to compounds in the fruit called phenols.
When exposed to oxygen, these phenols will
convert into another class of compounds called quinones.
Over time, quinones link together, forming
A pigment called melanin – the same
stuff that gives human skin its color.
And if you’ve ever thought avocado flesh turns
brown way faster than other fruits, you’re not wrong.
Avocados carry a boat-load of an enzyme
called polyphenol oxidase that speeds up
this whole pigment production process.
So how do you stop your guacamole browning?
Here’s some quick tips.
First, every good guac recipe should include some lime.
The acids in lime juice actually slow down
that enzyme from speeding up the browning.
After you’ve had your fill of dip you can take some
saran wrap and press it right up against your guac.
The less air pockets the better.
Another interesting trick is if you’ve made a thick
dip, and have a good amount left over, cover
it with a layer of water and put it in the fridge.
When you’re ready for more dip, dump
the excess water out and stir it up.
These two methods keep oxygen away from your delicious treat.
So get dipping folks.
This is one nutritional powerhouse food
that you don’t want to miss out on.
If you liked this video make sure to check out
this one about the chemistry of Sriracha
and then also this one on garlic breath.
Special thanks to Compound interest for hooking
us up with this awesome avocado chemistry
infographic, a link to it can be found
down in the video description below.
Have ideas for other tasty food chemistry videos?
Let us know in the comments.
Thanks for watching folks, hit subscribe on the
way out, and we’ll see you again very soon.